Air bag covers used in conjunction with occupant restraint systems often include decorative badges or ornaments attached thereto in the form of a logo or mark representing a vehicle make, model, manufacturer, or the like. These decorative badges are aesthetically pleasing, helping to enhance the overall appearance of the interior of the automotive vehicle.
Stamping the design from a metal foil, typically aluminum, forms the emblem itself. However, stamped aluminum does not provide a level of detail and design consistent with customer expectations. As an alternative, an electroformed emblem, especially one formed from nickel may be used. A nickel emblem provides the level of detail and refinement consistent with customer expectations, however, such an emblem alone formed into a badge does not provide adequate strength for attaching to a substrate, typically an air-bag cover.
An emblem may be incorporated into a badge, in which the emblem is attached to a separate device using injection molded plastics, rigid adhesives, and the like. The attached device functions to mount the emblem as part of the badge unit onto the intended substrate. However, to provide the required level of adhesion between the badge and the substrate, physical manipulation of the mounting device such as bending and crimping is required. This results in deformities within the emblem, which detracts from the aesthetically pleasing appearance.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have an aesthetically pleasing badge that can be attached to an air bag cover. Furthermore, it is desirable to have a badge with an emblem that retains an aesthetically pleasing appearance once attached to an air bag cover, and during use.
Disclosed herein is a badge having a metallic emblem adhesively attached to a mounting frame by a polymeric resin having a Shore D hardness about 20 to about 90.
Also disclosed is a vehicular sub-assembly including a substrate, and a badge attached to the substrate, wherein the badge has a mounting frame, and a metallic emblem adhesively attached to a mounting frame by a polymeric resin having a Shore D hardness about 20 to about 90.
Further disclosed is a method of producing a badge, including adhesively attaching a metallic emblem having a thickness about 0.01 to about 1 mm to a mounting frame with a polymeric resin, wherein the polymeric resin has a Shore D hardness about 20 to about 90.
In addition, disclosed is a method of producing a vehicular sub-assembly including adhesively attaching a metallic emblem having a thickness about 0.01 to about 1 mm to a mounting frame with a polymeric resin, wherein the polymeric resin has a Shore D hardness about 20 to about 90 to form a badge; and attaching said badge to a substrate to form said vehicular sub-assembly.